For all my American counterparts out there I ask each and everyone of you to take a moment Monday and remember the reason why we all have our freedom to grill, swim, boat, or whatever else it is we are doing this Memorial Day. As of the year 2009 there have been an estimated 1 million Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom and prosperity we all enjoy. Please remind all your friends and neighbors to take a moment and breathe a silent (or not so silent ) word of thanks and gratitude to the hero's who have gone before us. And for those of you who post frequently on this site who are not from the the greatest country in the world it's okay if you give thanks too.

Just a thought from someone who has been there when the ultimate sacrifice was made.

Thank you for sharing this. To me, Memorial Day is much more then a day off of work and a day to BBQ. I take my boys to Veteran's Cemeteries to honor those who have given us the privilege of freedom. This year we are blessed to have the display "Where Valor Rests" and we will be attending that.

We have lost many close friends in this war, everyday is memorial day for us.

God Bless Our Fallen Heroes and the families left behind.

__________________Armygirl4ever,
Proudly Serving in the Silent (okay, maybe not always so silent) Ranks

Yep... we in Ireland dont directly celebrate this day, but we fight and die in the Armies of the Freeworld like everyone else... we shall take the time for those who died in Freedoms cause, their memory lives on in our remembrance...

A nation mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

This Brit salutes from across the pond.

__________________Some People say the most important thing
a fighter can have is heart.
show me a fighter who's nothing but heart,
and I'll show you a man waiting for a beating.كافر

Thanks to all of you non-Americans for you thoughts & support. We certainly can't do it alone.

Sniper - good luck to you. I'd much rather have seen you in a pair of Army ACUs instead of MarPat but serving is serving. It's too bad that you have to unlearn how to tie your shoes & remembering to zip up your fly to qualify for the Corps. I assume that you met the one big criteria - your parents never married & possibly your mother has no idea who your father is. You'd need a whole bunch of waivers just to walk into a Corps recruiting office otherwise.

Hi MSG Glenn, I had emailed earlier and have gotten no response from anyone. You had asked if my son was doing OSUT at Ft. Benning and he is. I am getting very concerned to be able to make plane reservations for his graduation which he heard would be July 24th. Have not received any info. from his commanding officer, the packet you were talking about. We are flying from Hawaii to Utah then driving to Georgia. Is there someone to call to find out the details? This Memorial Day has made me stop and think a lot more since my son has joined and what he is fighting for. I will remember those who have given their lives for our country this Memorial Day. Jacki

Hi MSG Glenn, I had emailed earlier and have gotten no response from anyone. You had asked if my son was doing OSUT at Ft. Benning and he is. I am getting very concerned to be able to make plane reservations for his graduation which he heard would be July 24th. Have not received any info. from his commanding officer, the packet you were talking about. We are flying from Hawaii to Utah then driving to Georgia. Is there someone to call to find out the details? This Memorial Day has made me stop and think a lot more since my son has joined and what he is fighting for. I will remember those who have given their lives for our country this Memorial Day. Jacki

What I would do is Google the Ft. Benning website, Jacki. Somewhere on that site will be links to the various units assigned there including OSUT units. Find his unit's listing & there should be a phone number you can call. There should also be a listing of OSUT graduation dates. I'm sure you'll be getting a packet. When you call his unit ask for one just in case. There will be maps, locations & times included which are very informative. I'm sure that you're aware of it but you should be there on the Thursday before graduation. That's the Turning Blue ceremony & it's a bigger deal than the OSUT graduation. Unless things have changed you'll be able to be with your soldier that evening with a report back time of 11 PM. A good time to go to a good steakhouse. If your son is going to Airborne School the buses will be waiting to take them right after graduation. You'll have about 15 minutes with him until they leave. He'll more than likely be dismissed after Airborne School check-in. Sometimes they administer the PT test when they get there & then he'll probably have Sunday off. That's if he's going to Airborne School.

That'll be quite some trip you'll be embarking on. I thought mine was bad - Milwaukee to Ft. Benning - driving for 16 hours. You're pratically on the other side of the world from Utah & from Utah is again almost on the other side of the world from Ft. Benning.

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France. A total of 2,289 of our military dead. We apologize.

2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium. A total of 5,329 of our dead. We are so ashamed of our arrogance.

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France. A total of 4,410 of our military dead. Excuse us.

4. Brookwood, England American Cemetery. A total of 4,680 of our dead. We are such an evil country.

5. Cambridge, England. 3,812 of our military dead. What on earth were we thinking?

6. Epinal, France American Cemetery. A total of 5,525 of our military dead. Please forgive us.

7. Flanders Field, Belgium. A total of 3,680 of our military. We are so sorry.

8. Florence, Italy. A total of 4,402 of our military dead. We are a bully nation.

9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. A total of 7,992 of our military dead. They deserved what they got.

10. Lorraine, France. A total of 10,489 of our military dead. FDR and Truman were lying war criminals.

11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg. A total of 5,076 of our military dead. Arrogant oppression, pure and simple.

12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 1,4246 of our military dead. Just think of how many civilians they killed.

13. Netherlands, Netherlands. A total of 8,301 of our military dead. They were murderers.

14. Normandy, France. A total of 9,387 of our military dead. Baby killers, one and all.

15. Oise-Aisne, France. A total of 6,012 of our military dead. They were torturers, too.

16. Rhone, France. A total of 8,61 of our military dead. Remorseless killers doing the bidding of an evil nation.

17. Sicily, Italy. A total of 7,861 of our military dead. What can America ever do to redeem itself?

18. Somme, France. A total of 1,844 of our military dead. Arrogant war-mongers of an arrogant nation.

19. St. Mihiel, France. A total of 4,153 of our military dead. War criminals.

20. Suresnes, France. A total of 1,541 of our military dead. Oh, God in heaven, please forgive us for being such an arrogant country.

The total number of Americans buried at the cemeteries above is 104,366 -- a mere fraction of those who died liberating Europe -- and yet an American president who confuses arrogance with leadership feels the need to apologize in Europe for the country he obviously holds in contempt.

For all my American counterparts out there I ask each and everyone of you to take a moment Monday and remember the reason why we all have our freedom to grill, swim, boat, or whatever else it is we are doing this Memorial Day. As of the year 2009 there have been an estimated 1 million Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom and prosperity we all enjoy. Please remind all your friends and neighbors to take a moment and breathe a silent (or not so silent ) word of thanks and gratitude to the hero's who have gone before us. And for those of you who post frequently on this site who are not from the the greatest country in the world it's okay if you give thanks too.

Just a thought from someone who has been there when the ultimate sacrifice was made.

Thanks for starting this thread. Thanks to all who serve, have served, and most especially the families of our soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. God Bless!!